Having declared that a Palestinian state is foremost in the Israeli interest, Netanyahu must now seize any opportunity to achieve it.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with U.S. President Barack Obama today for the fifth time. Few leaders are privileged with such frequent opportunities to state their positions to the leader of the world's strongest power. With his invitation, Obama is demonstrating his dedication to commitments made in his Cairo address, during which he pledged to end the Middle East conflict. Reports emerging from Washington suggest the White House is trying to calm the ill wind that has polluted the Obama-Netanyahu relationship, and is going out of its way to show the guest from Jerusalem a warm welcome.

While the prime minister has said he intends to tell Obama that direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians must be resumed as soon as possible, his words and deeds suggest that he plans to continue passing the buck for the stagnant peace process onto the Palestinians. For his part, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has said Netanyahu has yet to respond to the position paper the PA presented to U.S. mediator George Mitchell on its stance concerning borders and security arrangements.

Recent remarks from Defense Minister Ehud Barak also confirm that Netanyahu has yet to outline his plan for reaching a two-state solution. Barak called on the premier to present Obama with a "clear initiative" that would create an independent, demilitarized Palestinian state while leaving the major settlement blocs near the Green Line in Israel's hands.

On the eve of Netanyahu's U.S. visit, he and Barak have proven that they do in fact have the ability to weaken the influence of rightist factions within the coalition, and beyond, and to take a more moderate diplomatic line. Last month the cabinet authorized an easing of the Gaza blockade, and this week a key ministerial committee rejected a bill aimed at transferring authority over renewing the settlement construction freeze from the cabinet to the Knesset. Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat has even thrown out a plan to build 60 additional housing units beyond the Green Line in Pisgat Ze'ev.

Having declared that the creation of a Palestinian state is a foremost Israeli interest, Netanyahu is now obligated to seize any opportunity to reach that goal. The prime minister must not squander the occasion presented by his meeting with Obama by haggling over a settlement freeze; he must present objectives that are both courageous and realistic.

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It's funny how everyone talks like this "commitment" of Bibi's
is real; when in fact it's nothing more than a facade meant to buy time,
and nothing more. Anyone who thinks his agenda and goals changed from
one day to the next is completely naive. There IS no magic switch that
would have caused this shift - it exists at face value only, and has
absolutely NO substance. On the other hand, Barak's rhetoric DOES have
a bit of substance - but he's too much of a political coward to pursue
it any further than pragmatic rambling. Which explains his frequently
urging Netanyahu to come to terms with a peace settlement. He's willing
to be a part of it, and will support it wholeheartedly - as long as it's
someone else taking the political heat. A common deficiency among
Israeli politicians.

I keep asking the question which is what is the point of negotiating
with Abas? He can not keep any agreement because he doe not represent
many Palestinians. Gaza is contoled by Hamas whose aim is Israel's
destruction. What is Abas going to promise Israel? In the west bank
his options are depended on Israel. What is the point?

Why is it so hard to understand that Bibi doesn't want a Palestinian
state? In fact, he will do all he can to prevent it. If progress is to
be made, Bibi and his coalition partners need to be replaced. Nothing
positive can or will happen under this government...unless the Americans
apply some really heavy pressure. Unfortunately, neither a center-left
coalition nor American pressure is likely.

what do you want mr. dissen?i mean what are your achievable plans
concerning west bank,golan,sheeba,arabs close by,turkey,iran,or any of
the above.say west bank and golan.don't get me wrong-any
resonable,feasible acquisition israel makes,makes me glad.

As we learned is this weeks parsha, it took a mere 12000 Jews to
completely destroy the Midianites. As long as Shabbat violation is
considered acceptable rather than as the incredibly serious crime that
it is, nothing will help. Leftists claim that they will try anything -
try keeping Shabbat, Kashrut and TM for a month.

I am not encourgaed by this visit or that anything meaningful will come
out of it. Bibi lacks the vision and courage necessary to take any bold
steps. He only cares about keeping his own backside firmly in the PM
chair and nothing else. I can only hope that his disrespect for Obama
and the rest of the world for that matter will boot him out of it. I am
appalled by the Israeli people's seeming support of someone who is
leading them down a path to destruction. Where is the Labor
Party????????????

Israels policy for thirty years has been to expand the settlements.
This has been done with some success. This means that Israel has had to
avoid peace for thirty years. This has also been successful. None of
this is a secret to Onama. The only question is, will America continue
to support Israels anti-peace activities. American financial, political
and military aid have been pouring into Israel for years and is
scheduled to continue for almost a decade. Does Israel really need all
this aid? Can they really not afford to pay for their own weapons?
Will Obama put American aid to Israel on the table? If he does not,
then he is simply a poser and nothing will change.

The editorial means Netanyahu's survival, not the survival of the State
of Israel. Obviously Israel has to worry about safety. But Netanyahu has
to decide between peace or re-election. Because if he agrees to a peace
deal and gives the Palestinians another term no way he will be Prime
Minister again.

If Netanyahu has a vision for peace, he has not had the courage to
express it. He fears the loss of the coalition that supports him,
namely settlers, ultra-orthodox and a variety of zealots. This is not a
man that can make the hard decisions to lead a nation that has been
taken comfort in their superiority while harboring fears of their
neighbors. A leader needs to inspire. Netanyahu has not understood
what it takes to lead a nation to peace through compromise and partnership.

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